An escape to the Bois de Boulogne
Botanical gardens, still water and a welcome distance from the city’s pace.
A day with more room to breathe.
The Bois de Boulogne gives the city a different scale, with lakes, gardens and wooded paths replacing the streets of central Paris. Spend the morning on the water, wander through the botanical gardens or settle down for lunch beside the lake. Its proximity to Roland Garros also makes it an easy addition to a day built around the French Open.
Paris, with a little more space around it.
Rowing boats cross the lakes while paths disappear beneath the trees and gardens open into unexpected clearings. At Le Chalet des Îles, lunch can stretch onto terraces beside the water, offering an alternative to a picnic and another reason to make an afternoon of it.
A natural pause during the French Open.
The Bois sits close to Roland Garros, making it easy to combine the two without spending the day crossing Paris. Start among the gardens or on the water, then head to the tennis in the afternoon as the atmosphere builds around the courts.
A century-old competition for the world's finest roses.
Inside the Bois, the Bagatelle rose garden has hosted its international competition for new roses since 1907. Varieties are assessed over two growing seasons before a winner is chosen, making the competition as much about patience as horticulture. By spring, the garden is already beginning to fill with colour, with the full spectacle still to come.
